Base installation in an HOA.

[Mentor3006]

Yeah my ability to radio is less than ideal...

I am in an HOA, looking for my C&R now, but I am interested in setting up a base station in the house. Probably just use my old TRC-465,

The gear I have is a mobile AM / SSB radio, Realistic TRC-465 A.K.A. Uniden PC-122 with a funny mic jack, a Realistic noise cancelling power mic, and I am not sure I can use this in this installation, but I have a 110v AC to 12v DC 40 amp converter that is a pull out from my campervan. I may need a proper DC power supply instead...

Unfortunately the Telecommunications act of 1996 does not apply to HAM or CB antennae, so I figure I can get away with like an Antron 99 that is installed on a short pole on the ground itself. as the antenna would be shorter than my big ash tree in my back yard, and hidden by my magnolia iin the front. If they can't see it they can't fuss about it... But having the trees in the way poses a problem...

So how are folks dealing with setting up antennas while staying compliant or at least concealed from the HOA?

What considerations would I have for the coax, particularly burying it to make the run so my lawn guy doesn't run it over all the time.

Oh and since I am in a hurricane zone, this would have to be something I could take DOWN and get it out of the storms way when the next one comes...

[Mentor3006]

Okay so I THINK, I am not 100% sure, but I think I know what way to go for NOW to keep costs low as I just dropped some cabbage on a couple of new President radios etc... Trying to keep the budget happy but get things done you know?

Location to do the install. The shed in the back yard. I want to be able to enjoy a cigar and a drink while playing skip and I do no smoke in my house...

Radio: Realistic TRC-465. I have 3 of them to chose from, 2 different Realistic Power mics, and a Cobra power mic are all on the table, handhelds not sure I want to bother with a stand mic just from a cost perspective right now.

Antenna. A 102" whip mounted on a driven hunk of EMT conduit and clamped stand off from the shed eaves would do the trick, just put the 102 above the roof peak. Hard to see from the road or across the creek from the neighbors the other way, no HOA problems.

Power issue. I have a 200 amp hour Lifepo4 in my truck shell camper that is sort of a spare after I got the campervan. So 2560wh / 200ah electrical storage, and a spare 20 amp charge controller, I would easily just set up one of my portable panels to charge during the day...

That leaves me with figuring out the antenna mount itself, coax, and grounding.

For the antenna mount, I am thinking a Stainless Steel antenna mast bracket like [Please login or register to view this link].
To that use a ProComm extra heavy duty stud mount. I need to dig, I probably have 2 or 3 of these in a box somewhere.
[Please login or register to view this link]
For coax use 18' of RG58A/U which I have several of right now.
[Please login or register to view this link]
Lightning arrestor for the coax.
[Please login or register to view this link]
And of course the obligatory grounding rod with clamp.
[Please login or register to view this link]

So my questions are, will this work the way I think it will, and what am I missing?

[Mentor3006]

Okay so I THINK, I am not 100% sure, but I think I know what way to go for NOW to keep costs low as I just dropped some cabbage on a couple of new President radios etc... Trying to keep the budget happy but get things done you know?

Location to do the install. The shed in the back yard. I want to be able to enjoy a cigar and a drink while playing skip and I do no smoke in my house...

Radio: Realistic TRC-465. I have 3 of them to chose from, 2 different Realistic Power mics, and a Cobra power mic are all on the table, handhelds not sure I want to bother with a stand mic just from a cost perspective right now.

Antenna. A 102" whip mounted on a driven hunk of EMT conduit and clamped stand off from the shed eaves would do the trick, just put the 102 above the roof peak. Hard to see from the road or across the creek from the neighbors the other way, no HOA problems.

Power issue. I have a 200 amp hour Lifepo4 in my truck shell camper that is sort of a spare after I got the campervan. So 2560wh / 200ah electrical storage, and a spare 20 amp charge controller, I would easily just set up one of my portable panels to charge during the day...

That leaves me with figuring out the antenna mount itself, coax, and grounding.

For the antenna mount, I am thinking a Stainless Steel antenna mast bracket like [Please login or register to view this link].
To that use a ProComm extra heavy duty stud mount. I need to dig, I probably have 2 or 3 of these in a box somewhere.
[Please login or register to view this link]
For coax use 18' of RG58A/U which I have several of right now.
[Please login or register to view this link]
Lightning arrestor for the coax.
[Please login or register to view this link]
And of course the obligatory grounding rod with clamp.
[Please login or register to view this link]

So my questions are, will this work the way I think it will, and what am I missing?

[443 Arizona]

if you have a roof mounted A/C , put a magnetic base ant on top. the only visible part is the 3' or 4' whip

[Mentor3006]

No roof mounted AC, it's on the ground on a slab. Proximity to my Texas ash tree is going to be a problem too...

[443 Arizona]

well there you go, you just answered your question,
i had afriend who put an ant. in a tree,
it was an antron he painted greenish and mounted to a rod that was mounted to the tree so as to let the antron stick out of the top into clean air, painted and camouflaged everything, even went as far as putting 2 plastic leaves on it randomly.

[johnlewis1]

Hey there!

I totally get the struggle with setting up a base station in a HOA neighborhood. It's like trying to wear [Please login or register to view this link] to a formal event - you want to be stylish and efficient, but you've got to do it subtly so no one raises an eyebrow!

For your radio setup, using your TRC-465 as a base station sounds like a solid plan. The Realistic TRC-465, A.K.A. Uniden PC-122, is a decent choice, especially if you're familiar with its quirks. And that 110v AC to 12v DC 40 amp converter from your campervan? Ingenious reuse, although you're right that a proper DC power supply might be more reliable in the long run.

As for the antenna dilemma, it’s a classic game of hide-and-seek with the HOA. An Antron 99 on a short pole is a smart move. It’s like camouflaging in plain sight - low profile but effective, much like choosing the right outfit to blend in yet stand out. With your trees as natural cover, you’re already a step ahead.

[De_Wildfire]

I live in a HOA's and have been operating since 1992. I started with a dipole behind the house and planted six foot privacy trees all along the back. It's hard to see a dipole. The dipole runs from the back of the chimney to two six foot poles in-between the trees from one side of the property to the other. ( 51 feet each side from the center.)

The dipole (A G5RV) is on a tuner and it tuned into the 11/10 meter bands fine. Actually it will tune all the HF bands except 160 meters.

I ran on that for a long time until 2006 and when the trees grew to a certain point, I put a mast inside the trees and let the painted green imax 2000 stick a little bit out of the top. When the trees grow, so does the antenna. I use four foot military poles to keep boosting the antenna up inside the trees. Right now, it's up about 30 feet. I used direct burial coax and ran it underground out to the edge of the yard that goes into the trees when I can connect it to the imax 2000.

Now that the trees are giving me the privacy I needed, I just put up a Hex Beam. One day I sat down and drew up a plan and stuck to it over the years. All is still quiet on the HOA front lines.

[Mentor3006]

So finally bit the bullet and waiting for my setup to arrive.

The rig is going to look like...
TRC-645 + Power Mic being powered by a PowerMax PM-55 converter charger set to constant voltage 13.6v DC.
Coax out of the office and through the soffit and over to the big ash tree in the back yard.
Radiowavz Double Bazooka Dipole because I am too lazy to make my own set up vertical in the tree, and of course connected to the coax...

The fun is going to be setting the SWR of that dipole...

[De_Wildfire]

That TRC-465 was a great radio back in the day when it first come out. I had it hooked up to a Radio Shack Power Supply and a PDL 2, a two element quad. I used to shoot a lot of skip on channel 38 LSB on that stock radio. It's great to see people still using them today.